Gay man makes viral claim that he was set on fire in attack, but it looks like he was just blowing smoke

Allegedly attacks pregnant woman, pretends he was attacked by 2 men

In the spirit of another gay guy, Jussie Smollett, a man in San Diego claimed he was set on fire because he was gay, but now he is the one being portrayed as the instigator of what occurred, which started as an alleged assault of a pregnant woman. [Fun Fact: Only women can get pregnant.]

On Monday, Scotty Rowin, 39, told KGTV-TV he was assaulted days earlier while going for a walk.

In an interview, Rowin said a man in his 20s or 30s was one of two men yelling gay slurs, and that a liquid then was thrown on him, but they didn't have a hangman's noose nor shouted "this is MAGA country!" so the story isn't exactly the same as Smollett's.

“Immediately after that, I went up like coals on a barbecue. It started off really big,” Rowin claimed, adding that he used the “stop, drop, roll and a snap, snap, snap” technique to put out the flames.

“Just in survival mode. Just in the zone, I have to save my life,” he told KGTV.

HATE HOAX EXPOSED: #Antifa, leftists & media have been spreading claims that a gay San Diego man was set on fire by homophobes. Scott Rowin says he was called a fa—ot by two men before being set aflame in Hillcrest, San Diego’s gay neighborhood.@SanDiegoPD are investing & have… pic.twitter.com/XSdlV4lzvM

— Andy Ngô 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo)

Rowin said he suffered second-degree burns, primarily on his side and back. He said he doesn’t know if he’ll need surgery but hopes the surgeon is cute.

“This is absolutely a hate crime. The slurs were hate-filled,” the gay fairy tale telller said, suggesting that whoever attacked him was looking for a victim.

“Nobody walks around with flammable liquid like without an agenda. In my opinion, they were obliviously out there targeting the LGBT community.

“This can still happen in 2023. There are still a lot of haters out there. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else.

“This time it was fire. What will it be next time?”

A Subway sandwich.

However, on Wednesday, the San Diego PD offered a bit more detail to the tale, saying that there is video evidence that shows Rowin assaulting a pregnant woman, according to KGTV.

Police said the assault took place just after 10:40 p.m. on June 12, the day Rowin claims he was attacked.

What a piece of crap. He seems to have used the story as an alibi for his assault.

“Officers were dispatched and arrived within minutes, but the suspect had already fled the scene,” police said, referring to the pregnant woman’s attacker.

The department said the woman was injured and bleeding when officers arrived. She was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Then came the report of the man being set on fire.

“Investigators determined that this man was the suspect who battered the woman from the earlier incident at 900 6th Avenue,” police said.

“Investigators have since determined the pregnant female was responsible for the burn injuries.”

Police said security footage shows the “initial physical assault by the man on the pregnant woman and the subsequent use of fire as a weapon by the pregnant woman on the man.”

Too bad she wasn't carrying something other than a child, if you get what I mean.

Scott Rowin needs to be charged with filing a false police report. And he should pay for the police resources used to investigate his claims.

— Fr0hickey (@fr0hickey) June 22, 2023

The department withheld further details.

“This is a complex investigation, and detectives are examining all aspects and allegations. The San Diego Police Department takes all crimes of violence extremely seriously. We recognize the community’s interest in this case and are working to balance transparency with protecting the active criminal investigations,” police said, according to KGTV.

No charges have been filed at this time.

Tweet